How Ayurveda Can Help Beat The Summer Heat

If you think that “there ain’t no cure for the summertime blues”, you’ve probably never given Ayurveda a try. Yes, the summer heat can be unbearable, making you wish you could somehow just hibernate and wake up 3 months later to the arrival of the monsoons. Of course, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride! Fortunately, Ayurveda offers more than wishful thinking when it comes to beating the summer heat.

Whether it’s ways to cool down, stay hydrated, or simply keep your cool, there’s plenty of wisdom to be found in Ayurveda. So, without further ado, let’s take a look at how Ayurveda can help you, not just survive, but thrive this summer.

The Ayurvedic Perspective

Ayurveda really does contain the wisdom of the ages and it’s founded on a harmonious relationship with nature, including the changing seasons. Yes, that includes the dreaded summer. Attention to seasonal changes in the context of lifestyle and health is something that Ayurveda pays close attention to. Our dietary choices, lifestyles, and schedules should closely mirror the changing seasons to maintain a healthy state of balance.

Now this may seem vague and challenging to most of us, but there are plenty of specific instructions on how to survive the summer heat and they’re all fairly easy to adopt. Summer is regarded as pitta (1 of the 3 doshas) season in Ayurveda, which makes balancing pitta levels the primary goal. Whether or not you understand this fundamental concept of doshas, there’s plenty to be gained from following the recommendations that have been based on the concept.

Ayurvedic Diet for Summer

The first rule is to listen to your body. We are naturally more inclined to eating smaller meals with lighter and easy to digest foods during summer. Mindful eating – the art of relishing your food, chewing thoroughly, and eating slowly, is another recommendation that you really shouldn’t dismiss. It has been proven to lower the risk of overeating, making it a practice that helps at other times too.
Ideally, a pitta season diet should include foods with a bitter, sweet, and astringent taste, as well as foods that are cool and with a higher fluid content. Fresh fruit and vegetable salads should therefore dominate your meals. You could include fruits like apples, grapes, limes, pomegranates, water melons, cantaloupes, and pears, among others. Vegetables with higher water content like cucumbers, broccoli, Brussel Sprouts, lettuce, celery, lady finger, and zucchini also make for good additions and will help you keep cool.

Your diet still needs to be wholesome and balanced though, which is why it should also include grains like rice, wheat, and barley in moderation, as well as pulses like mung, chickpea (chana), Adzuki beans (chori), and black beans. Ayurveda also recommends specific oils for the season, such as sunflower and coconut oils.

Similarly, although spicy foods should be limited, it helps to include cooling spices and herbs like basil, mint, cardamom, and coriander in your diet. Instead, limit your intake of ginger, garlic, chilli, and cayenne pepper. Non-vegetarians should also limit or avoid intake of red meats, instead switching to fish and poultry, in moderation.

Ayurvedic Lifestyle for Summer

Getting out of bed can be a struggle during winter, but that’s not the case in summer. Ayurveda recommends embracing the seasonal change with a morning oriented routine that is natural and great for your health. So, instead of starting your day by lolling about in bed and browsing through your Facebook or Instagram likes, do yourself a favour and meditate or go for a walk. Light or low intensity exercises like yoga or walking are the perfect way to start the day, as these activities also have a calming effect on your mind. You can always follow them up with an Ayurvedic oil massage that is not only calming, but also protective for your skin. After all, a number of massage oils like coconut oil are known to protect against sunburn and summer skin conditions. If the heat gets particularly intense, you can also use a chilled rose water spritz to cool down.

Short naps in the afternoon can also help to replenish energy levels, so listen to your body’s needs. Just remember, that a nap is typically under an hour, so don’t oversleep! Later in the day, it would also be a good idea to massage your feet with an herbal oil like brahmi (Waterhyssop) oil, as this helps to draw out the heat and preserve energy. At the same time it is extremely relaxing, helping you prepare for bed. While, an early bedtime of around 9pm might work best, that may not be practical for most of us, which is why 10 or 11pm should also work fine. And since we’ve moved to the bedroom, let’s get one more thing clear. Sex in moderation may be healthy, but it’s particularly important to not overindulge during summer. Excess sex causes an increase in pitta dosha, depleting energy.

Ayurvedic Fitness Routine for Summer

As we’ve already established, there’s no ‘bad’ season for exercise, but it can be tough when you’re already feeling overwhelmed with the heat. Exercise has a heating effect on the body, which is why it is advisable to avoid exercise between peak sunlight hours of 10am to 4pm. For the same reason, avoid overexerting or indulging in too much high intensity exercise.

After your workout, use the pulse points and the third eye to achieve a quick cool down. Apply some chilled rose water or oil to the third eye, which is the chakra point just above the nose and between the eyebrows. You can also apply cold water to the wrists and back of the neck, using running water or a soaked towel.

As you can see, most of these Ayurvedic recommendations are simple common sense measures that we should follow to stay in harmony with the changing seasons. In addition, you can use Ayurvedic tonics, capsules, and oils containing herbs like brahmi (Waterhyssop), guduchi (heart-leaved moonseed), amalaki (Indian gooseberry), neem (Indian lilac), and shatavari (asparagus species native to India) for their cooling effect.

We are thankful to Dr. Pratik Bhoite for sharing all valuable inputs with our readers to beat the heat in a ayurvedic lifestyle. I would like to introduce my readers to Dr. Pratik Bhoite, M.D. (Ayu), M.S. (Couns.&Psy.), P.G.D.E.M.S.,P.G.D.M., D.N.H.E., D.Y.A. has been practicing Ayurvedic medicine for several years; he serves as a lifestyle consultant, and also has expertise in counseling and psychotherapy. Dr. Bhoite is passionate about natural living and the need for a shift in health care focus from curative to preventive medicine. He has been working relentlessly to raise public awareness on various health concerns and continues to share his insights on allAyurveda.com, a global holistic health platform.

Ayurveda is boon for life!

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